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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

We just installed Slackware 11 and chose the stock.2.6.18 kernel (test not bigmem). We realized that the toshiba mousepad was not working so I had him do an lsmod. Nothing. So I guess its all built in so I ask him to do a modprobe psmouse and then we get an error saying that /lib/modules/2.6.18/modules.dep could not be found.

Upon further inspection I see that there is only a directory for 2.4.33 under /lib/modules not one for 2.6.18.

What happened or why is this. Am I going to have to build the 2.6.18 kernel from source to get the modules?

No I did not and I appologize. Sorry I am assisting a complete newbie and I did not read / install anything myself. I assumed (incorrectly) that if he chose a 2.6 kernel that the modules dir would have been installed.

I am not a complete newbie but I am very green when it comes to installing Slackware as it requires a lot more wide ranging knowlege than I currently posess.

I have only installed Slack 10.1 and 10.2 and had a friend walk me through upgrading to the 2.6 kernel by downloading the kernel headers and source and building it from scratch. Since he knows the hardware really well he knew what options to change in the .config to get things to work.

Would you entertain a few simple questions?

1) Would you advise us to try and use the stock (test) 2.6.18 (A), the stock (huge) 2.6.17(B) or go get the latest and build it from scratch(C)?

2) if suggestion A or B are the modules in the package "source for the modules" or "compiled modules"? I assume its compiled (sorry I don't have the disks in front of me and the new machines network is not running)

If you're not using bleeding edge hardware I would prefer the 2.6.17.13 kernel from "extra" over the 2.6.18 kernel in "testing".
Also, what I usually do (whatever kernel I used for installing) is "installpkg" the kernel-generic-2.6.17.13-i486-1.tgz and kernel-modules-2.6.17.13-i486-1.tgz packages. The "kernel-generic" kernel is a 2.6.17.13 kernel just like the huge26.s bootkernel from the CD, but it does not have all those drivers compiled-in like the huge26.s kernel has. It's modules are in the corresponding kernel-modules package (these modules can also be used by the huge26.s kernel as I explained to you in my previous post).
After installing these two packages, you will have to add some lines to the lilo configuration file /etc/lilo.conf, like these:

You should adapt the "/dev/hda1" to where your root partition resides of course, and you can choose another label name than "linux26".
If you want to make this new kernel the default that LILO starts, then place the above lines in front of all other " Linux bootable partition config" sections, or add "default = linux26" somewhere high up in the file in the global section.
After editing /etc/lilo.conf, you have to run the command "lilo" to install the changes into the disk boot sector.

If you want to play with the kernel and compile your own tweaked version based on the Slackware default kernel, then also install the "/extra/linux-2.6.17.13/kernel-source-2.6.17.13-noarch-1.tgz" package, which places the kernel sources in /usr/src/linux-2.6.17.13/
Then, copy the Slackware kernel config file to this location as well and run "make oldconfig":